Moscow, Mar 1 (AP) A Russian radio station critical of the Kremlin was taken off the airwaves on Tuesday, its chief editor said and the Associated Press confirmed, after authorities threatened to shut it down over the coverage of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The move against Echo Moskvy, one of Russia's oldest radio stations, comes amid growing pressure on Russia's independent media to follow the Kremlin's official line while covering the invasion of Ukraine.

Also Read | Instagram, YouTube Block Russian News Outlets RT and Sputnik Across Europe.

Officials also threatened to block Dozhd, Russia's top independent TV channel. The Prosecutor General's office accused the two media outlets of spreading content that incites extremist activities, as well as “false information regarding the actions of Russian military personnel as part of a special operation” in Ukraine.

Shortly after Moscow invaded Ukraine on Thursday, Russian officials threatened independent media with closure if their coverage of the attack deviated from the official narrative, including describing the assault as an “invasion” or a “war.”

Also Read | Pakistan Sees Major Surge in Offences Against Women in 2021, Says Report.

The website of the Current Time, a Russian TV channel launched by the US-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty that also has been critical of the Kremlin, became unavailable Sunday after the channel reported receiving a notification from the authorities.(AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)